Rudolph Leuckart, the famed zoologist and parasitologist, was born in Helmstedt, Germany.In parasitology, Leuckarts (1822-1898) best known work centered on vertebrate infections, chiefly tapeworm and trichinosis. Although not the first to discover that trichina spiralis worm existed as an infectious agent in pigs — that honor belongs to Joseph Leidy of Philadelphia — Leuckart and his colleague, Friedrich Albert von Zenker, documented the life cycle of the parasite in hogs and men. This led Rudolf Virchow to establish the first meat inspection laws in Germany.

In the field of parasitology, his studies of the liver fluke, Pentastomium, Taenia, and of Trichina spiralis were highly significant. His work with parasitic infections proved that Taenia saginata occurs only in cattle, and that Taenia solium occurs only in pigs.

Leuckart’s Die menschlichen Parasiten und von ihnen herruenden Krankheiten was for many years the leading text on parasitology in American medical schools.
His Wandtafeln (wall charts), produced from 1877 to 1892, were used worldwide as teaching aids.